Simple Chicken and Sausage Paella

by jenna on February 4, 2014

I don’t know about you guys, but I really don’t like to spend more than an hour making dinner on the weeknights.

Actually, I don’t really like to spend more than an hour ever making dinner…unless it’s a special occasion meal or something. I’m sure after the baby comes that hour will whittle down to thirty minutes, but right now I feel like if I can make a really great meal in an hour or less I’m doing good. Adam has a long commute every day and I like to have a good meal waiting when he gets home. I mean, I feel like it’s the least I can do since I get to my job lets me stay at home. Well, last week I surprised him with this chicken and sausage paella and it was a HUGE hit! We both loved it and he ate the leftovers for breakfast for the rest of the week.

What I love most about this paella is that it’s really a one pot meal. Plus, it’s pretty healthy. I mean, you’ve got chicken, veggies and brown rice all cooked in a slightly spicy tomato-y sauce broth. I used chicken thighs here but feel free to substitute with chicken breasts if you prefer.

Seafood is most always a part of traditional paella, but for this easy weeknight version I wanted to use ingredients that I already had on hand {minus the chorizo, which took a special trip to the store to grab but SO worth it}.

Leftovers heat up great! Perfect for guy breakfasts while I nosh on my waffles, maple syrup and eggs. I tried to get Adam to eat “traditional” breakfast foods for a long time before I just threw in the towel and reheated him dinner leftovers like he wanted. This was a huge hit!

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or pan {I use a dutch oven for this but if you have a paella pan, use that}. Once hot, add the chicken and sausage. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until well browned and just cooked through. Remove from pan and place on a plate. Cover with tin foil and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pot. Turn down the heat a little bit and then add the onion and bell peppers. Saute until onion and peppers soften, then add garlic. Saute for 30 more seconds. Add paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Pour in diced tomatoes and then add the rice.

Add the broth and bring mixture to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 30 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid in the pot.

Add the chicken and sausage back into the pan, as well as the artichoke hearts and peas. Stir well and cook for 5 more minutes, or until heated through. Serve warm with chopped parsley.

Mmm it’s been SO long since I’ve enjoyed paella. My fave is made with chicken and shrimp but I really don’t discriminate. 😉 Like you, I prefer dinner to be ready in an hour or less, and during the week I typically have meals prepped that I’ve made on the weekend because I know that after dinner, I want food fast! This sounds like a great make-ahead meal. Thanks Jenna!

I wanted to make this slow cooker recipe too (seems sooo good!) but we don’t have Stubb’s marinade here in Canada. What does it taste like? Is it sweet? I’m trying to find something to subtitute the marinade…
Thank you!

Right after Adam’s first birthday, we found out that he was moderately allergic to eggs so I probably overdid it for years trying to help him avoid them. He loved hot cereals for breakfast. I returned to work when he was 2 1/2 and had a pretty good commute which sometimes meant packable breakfasts like peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I often processed my own peanut butter with Adam intently watching that “magic”. When he outgrew the egg allergy, he decided he just didn’t like eggs but definitely ate his share of pancakes. As a teen and beyond, he would purposely save a portion of his own dinner or request leftovers for breakfast the next morning, depending on what it was. I was just happy to get something in him so didn’t fight it. Jenna’s super smart to give in to this and this yummy looking paella looks like something he would definitely wake up hungry for!

Such a cute response, Adam’s Mom! Makes sense! I love all traditional breakfast foods but you make a good argument for eating dinner leftovers at breakfast. Saving a portion of your dinner reduces calorie intake for that meal and eating heartier and nutritionally balanced foods for breakfast helps prevent overeating later in the day. Thanks for sharing! Will definitely bookmark this recipe, Jenna!

Party in a pot! I’m also on the “1-hour” dinner schedule and have added this paella to my list of recipes to try. It looks like just the thing my husband and I would love! Loads of veggies (for me) + meat (for him) + spice (for us.) Perfect!

I have never made paella, but I just decided on Sunday night to make it after seeing someone post a picture of theirs on Facebook. I always keep shrimp in the freezer, so I think I would definitely use that, but I love that it’s a one-pot meal.

Soooo let’s see. Not even 24 hours since this recipe has been up on your blog and already I am sitting here enjoying a big bowl of it 🙂 I have an ongoing list of ‘recipes to try’, but the second I saw this one this morning it immediately jumped to the top. I subbed the sausage for seafood, only because I’m not a huge sausage fan, and added a little saffron because I happened to buy a ‘cheapish’ jar from Trader-J the other day.

I don’t think I’ve ever had paella before in my life and have been meaning to make it forever, so thank you for giving me the final push to experiment! I may not have much to compare it to, but my taste buds are SO happy right now – and so much leftovers!

That comment about getting him to eat traditional breakfast cracked me up! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy “normal” breakfast food! I don’t think my tastebuds could get down with dinner foods that early.

Mmmmm, I like the artichoke hearts in there. I think that’s a great idea. One pot meals are also a life saver, along with time efficient meals. When I’m at home a lot, I’m all for under an hour of cooking, when I work though, it’s gotta be 15 minutes! It’s awfully sweet of you to be so keen to have food ready for him when he gets home! I hope he appreciates it plenty 🙂

I am long time reader, but rarely comment but I had to tell you that I made this last night and my husband had 4ths! It was easy, delicious and has already been requested to be added into our rotation (and for me to bring to an oyster roast/pot luck we attend every year)! Thanks for another great recipe!

I made this last night and we all loved it! My oldest daughter asked me to pack it in her lunch today. Next time I might put a Low Country spin on it and make it with andouille and shrimp. Thanks for another great family pleasing recipe!

I’m with the majority of you when it comes to dinner at breakfast. I recently took a cruise down the Mekong River from Cambodia to Saigon, and the food was fantastic. They offered local specialties and Western items at every meal. Just to be adventurous I tried Pho for breakfast 1 day…although I love this soup it just didn’t rock me at 8 am.
After that I stuck to the usual, eggs etc. Most Asian countries eat many items we would consider dinnertime things at breakfast.

I made this last night and it was so good. I wasn’t too sure about the artichokes, but they were perfect. My husband and I loved it so much, he asked me to make it again next week. Thank you for sharing this yummy dish!

Just finished making this. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up! I really love this dish Jenna. This time I used shrimp instead of chicken thighs… holy yum!! This recipe will definitely go into my regular rotation. I use 6 cloves of garlic instead of 2, but everything else I followed to a T.

I changed a bunch of things on this recipe to taste (and to match what I had in my kitchen) but OMG it was so good…. I’m always so grateful for recipes like this, where you can swap in/out lots of stuff but the basic chemistry of cooking it all in one pot works like a charm. Thanks so much for posting!

YUM. Made this this past weekend and it was AMAZING. I had to alter it a bit since we live in Amsterdam and I couldn’t find chorizo (the Dutch are terrified of anything remote spicey) but it was a great success! Definitely adding this to my short list of favorite recipes- thanks!